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Court orders fresh probe
UP tops in trade tax collection among
Noida DM to come down heavily on |
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Students denied transfer certificate by pvt schools
BJP leaders court arrest at Karol Bagh
MHA finds Delhi Govt’s demand ‘genuine’
Cong councillors’ resignation ‘a drama’
Maruti Udyog launches its driving schools
Alcoholics Anonymous, a fellowship of love minus lectures
CAIT to suggest remedies after markets’ survey
Cops seek discharge of accused in phone tapping case
One held for SHO’s murder
Serial kidnapper in police net
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Court orders fresh probe against MCD officials
New Delhi, April 11 “Evidence shows abuse of official position by the accused who entered into a criminal conspiracy with some unknown contractors which caused heavy loss to the MCD,” Special Judge Vinod Goel observed while dismissing the agency’s report filed on October 30, 2004. The CBI had sought closure on the ground that investigation into the case had revealed that there was “no irregularity or violation of rules in the conduct of the accused.” The accused in the case include MCD’s Executive Engineer Prem Chand Meena, his colleagues C. L. Bhola, R. P. Wadhwa, S. Dabas, Pawan Gupta besides a private company M/S Essco Traders and other ‘unknown persons’. In the FIR filed on February 28, 2002, the CBI had alleged that Meena and his co-accused in the civic body conspired with some unidentified contractors to corner work contracts worth over Rs 10 lakh during the year 2001. The agency had claimed that Meena “certified execution of work on bogus bills submitted by contractors and facilitated undue payment to them resulting in loss to the government”. Moreover, allegations against the officials included reassignment of work to private parties without fresh floating of tenders and “substantial” changes in work assigned in violation of MCD regulations. The accused have been booked under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC and various related provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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UP tops in trade tax collection among large states
Noida, April 11 This figure is roughly 60% of the total revenue collected by the state from all sources. During 2004-05, there was an increase of 20.58 per cent over the previous five years which were considered good from the point of view of trade tax collection. Mr Rajnish Gupta, Trade Tax Commissioner, UP, said here today that 9 out of 14 trade tax zones of the state had fulfilled more than 100 per cent target in the state. Special steps by the trade tax department had significantly contributed towards this happy position. Mr Gupta said what the trade tax department has achieved here is creditable because UP is a non-VAT state. The state’s growth is the best in the country. “UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is very happy with this and says we have enough funds to undertake growth and development. The department had collected Rs 150 crore more than the target of Rs 2,500 given by the state government for the year,” Mr Gupta said. Among the 14 trade tax zones in UP, Ghaziabad tops with Rs 1,100 crore followed by Noida zone with Rs 1,000 crore. All zones have done well except Barielly zone, the commissioner said. The mobile units of the trade tax are playing an important role as they had collected Rs 219 crore and imposed a penalty of Rs. 53 crore. Railway checkposts normally do 41% but in UP, they have done 80% in Lucknow and collected Rs 138 crore in Ghaziabad. Nine zones had made 100% collection while 4 zones had done 99%. The Noida trade tax zone has been playing an important role in trade tax collection in UP for the last many years. In last 10 years, the trade tax collection in Noida had increased fivefold. This year, Noida has contributed Rs 880 crore which is Rs 210 crore more than the previous year. This reflects 31% growth. In no other previous year, Noida had exceeded the previous years figure. In 2004-05, Rs 134 crore increase was registered which in 2005-06, it is over Rs 260 crore. Some 16,000 traders had contributed to the trade tax collection in Noida. The Trade Tax Commissioner said the government was extending concessions in new areas.
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Noida DM to come down heavily on land mafia
Noida, April 11 A Lok Vani centre will also be set up for that purpose. The complainants will be able to register their complaints in Tehsil or Collectorate by depositing a fee of Rs 10. The complaint will promptly be conveyed to the officer concerned through computer. He said he would listen to the public grievances from 10 a.m. to 12 daily. Mr Sundram has worked as District Magistrate in Jhansi, Mhoba and Orya, before his posting in Noida. Before joining IAS, he had worked in NABARD Jaipur as an Asstt. Manager. Lok Vani centre will be set up in Collectorate as well as at his camp office in Sector-27 Noida. The officers concerned will have not only to resolve the public complaints within a specified time, but will have to display a copy of it outside office. The new DM said NCPL will be asked to ensure 12 to 14 hours power supply to the villages.
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500 huts gutted in Masoodpur
New Delhi, April 11 Police officials said there was no information of any casualty in the incident. Immediately after the incident, 25 fire engines were sent to the spot that took around two hours to douse it. While the dousing process was still on, the fire officials said that the reasons behind the fire seemed to be suspicious.
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Students denied transfer certificate by pvt schools
Faridabad, April 11 In one of the recent cases, in which parents of several poor students wanted to withdraw their wards from a private school located in Ajronda village just adjacent to Sector-15-A here were denied the transfer certificate by the school owners. One of the parents who did not want to be identified claimed that the school did not issue the transfer certificate even after all the formalities were fulfilled The school did not given any satisfactory answer either, he regretted. He said he was unable to pay the fee and other expenses of his children and wanted to shift them in the government secondary school in the NIT. The principal of the government school expressed helplessness and said that the admissions could not be given until the transfer certificate was produced. He said he had approached even the office of the District Education Officer, but there was none who came to his help. The private school in which the children were presently admitted denied the certificate without a reason and asked him to submit the fee and other charges. A senior teacher of the government school in which these students were seeking admission also confirmed the incident. She claimed that there were at least a dozen cases, in which the students of poor students had been attempting to get admission in her school, but the non-issuance of certificate by the previous school had been creating problems. It may be recalled that the fee and other charges in the government schools have been nominal in comparison to the private schools. She informed that the government schools have stopped to give admission to fresh students on the basis of an affidavit and now the transfer certificate had been an essential requirement. The affected parents have now decided to meet the Deputy Commissioner in the matter. It is pointed out that the number of private schools outnumbers the government schools both in the rural and urban areas, despite the fact that the majority of the private educational institutions, especially those affiliated to the Haryana Education Board, have been lacking the basic infrastructure. They hardly have proper rooms, laboratory facilities or playground. The Haryana Abhibhawak Manch has been demanding a strict action against these ‘teaching shops’ and implementation of the new Education Policy.
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BJP leaders court arrest at Karol Bagh
New Delhi, April 11 The Jail Bharo Movement of the BJP against the sealing and demolition will come to an end on April 21. If the sealing and demolition were not stopped, the Chief Minister and ministers of Delhi Government would be gheraoed, Dr Harsh Vardhan, BJP Delhi unit president said.
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MHA finds Delhi Govt’s demand ‘genuine’
New Delhi, April 11 Acting on a communique by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit demanding more powers, the Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, has convened a meeting to discuss the issue to explore the feasibility of accepting such a demand. “The Home ministry understands the problem and is sympathetic towards it. Now the ministry is examining the proposal,” officials in the ministry said after the meeting yesterday. Describing the demand of the Sheila Dikshit government as legitimate, the ministry sources said irrespective of which political party was in power, the demand was genuine for the smooth day-to-day functioning of various local authorities. Citing the unique and complex character of the national Capital, the city government has sought a “special status” for Delhi, Delhi Government sources said. They said while the demand was not for full statehood the Chief Minister had sought powers to deal with various land and law and order issues pertaining to Delhi and also in services. The Delhi Government doesn’t want to interfere in the security given to VIPs by the Centre or the protection of the sensitive government offices and installation, the sources said. However, control over the local police and local civic authorities was necessary for smooth functioning, they added. The demand has gained momentum with Ms Dikshit writing to Mr Patil last month in wake of the law and order situation arising in the national Capital due to MCD’s demolition and sealing drive.
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Cong councillors’ resignation ‘a drama’
New Delhi, April 11 Mr Gupta said the resignation letter was addressed to the Mayor and submitted to the Municipal Commissioner. By doing so, their seats would be automatically vacated and not require any approval. The councillors submitted their resignation letters to DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma which was like wastepaper. The ‘so-called’ resignation was prepared at a meeting called at the house of a leader of the Congress. The Congress had been adopting a dual policy from the very beginning in the case of sealing of shops, he added.
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Fervour marks Mahavir Jayanti
New Delhi, April 11 A huge procession to commemorate the 2605th birthday of Lord Mahavir was taken out from Digambar Jain Mandir near Filmistan to the Parade Ground near Subhash Maidan. The procession, which began at 9 am, passed through Bara Hindurao, Baratooti, Sadar Bazaar, Fatehpuri, Chandni Chowk, Dariba Kalan and Hathikhana. Traffic diversions were carried out and special
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Maruti Udyog launches its driving schools
Gurgaon, April 11 Talking to mediapersons after inauguration of the two separate institutes, the Managing Director of MUL, Mr Jagdish Khattar said that his firm has launched them as part of its social responsibility. In the present context, the government cannot be expected to burden the entire social responsibility. The present idiom of ‘public-private participation’ (the three Ps) should be further strengthened. With regard to the school, which is presently up to standard three, will be upgraded in future. Spread on an area of 1.2 acres, the campus presently has 27 classrooms, five activity areas, a spacious library, a cafeteria, a language lab and a computer lab. Mr Khattar said that the school would cater to the needs of the area and impart holistic education along with the core values and philosophy of MUL. He said that it was with the sense of ‘corporate social responsibility’ that MUL accepted the assignment given by the Haryana government to provide management guidance and training to the ITI in Gurgaon. With regard to the driving school, he said that MUL decided to launch them in the country with a social purpose. Reeling out statistics, he said that on an average one lakh people die and 10 lakh get injured each year in this country due to road accidents.
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Alcoholics Anonymous, a fellowship of love minus lectures
New Delhi, April 11 While the alcoholics grapple with their addiction to liquor, their near and dear have to put up with the trauma of seeing their husband or son slowly degenerate due to the hold of alcohol. Statistics show that worldwide over two million people die each year due to alcoholism. Data collected by the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in India shows that this problem is growing at the rate of 7 per cent each year. Also, the sale of the AA big book worldwide is massive. This year, it has entered into its 25th millionth copy, second only to the Bible. Alcoholics Anonymous in a rather quiet manner is doing sterling work to keep alcoholics sober. This organisation is a collective effort on the part of former alcoholics to help those suffering from alcoholism and bring them back on the straight and narrow road to sobriety. The main thrust of this organisation was beautifully explained by a former alcoholic at one of the AA meetings. Since anonymity is the rule at AA, he is called Mr X, “Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of love, of genuine caring for each other. No lecturing happens here at all, we are all sick of lectures. What counts is that we share each others stories, each others lives, our happiness and our sorrow. This is what helps us re-build.” Another alcoholic who has been sober for the past 14 years and now helps keep his more vulnerable companions sober says, “I joined AA in January ’83 and then I had not come here on my own but was brought here by my father as though it was my first day at school. “There were four-five persons here in this room then and I sat down in a bemused state. I remember there was this American lady who was telling her story. She said that she was a housewife whose husband gave her money for groceries and she bought groceries with half the money and spent the rest on alcohol. “ A miracle happened that day as I realised for the first time that honest people existed in this world. I was very impressed with this newfound honesty and started coming back to AA in the hope of finding more honest people and sharing with them. This put me firmly back on the path to recovery.” Mr V, a serious alcoholic who literally walked back from the grave to a decent sober life, says, “I started drinking at the age of 16, I then took my first drink out of a feeling of rebellion. In those days I had this sense of alienation from society and I drank out of a feeling of loneliness. “When I had my first drink it acted like magic and removed all feelings of alienation. It removed all my problems. With the passage of time drinking became my main activity.” Mr V further elaborated, “Then accidents started occurring. I started missing college. My family did all sorts of things. They took me to doctors, pundits, tantrics, they got me married. Nothing worked, my drinking just went from bad to worse. I could not work and my health degenerated. My father in desperation took out a circular saying he would have nothing to do with me. I had hit rock bottom in those days. I wanted to stop but could not and became suicidal. “Finally, one day when I was collecting trash to sell and buy booze I saw an Alcoholics Anonymous advertisement. I came to the meeting.” V says that, “It was the love and attention I received here that worked. It slowly gave me the confidence to rebuild my life and stay sober. I took my last drink on December 24, 92 and have stayed sober ever since. “I came to the fellowship a wreck and a 100 per cent failure and today in recovery, I feel I’m a 100 per cent success.”
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CAIT to suggest remedies after markets’ survey
New Delhi, April 11 The Confederation of All India Traders
(CAIT) under whose banner the traders are agitating against the sealing has decided to conduct a citywise survey on the condition of markets, their problems and remedies. The survey will be sent to trade bodies, social organisations, influential citizens, architects, town planners and other cross-section of society.
CAIT general secretary Parveen Khandelwal said nepotism and rampant corruption were the order of the day in the MCD and the DDA which were solely responsible for generating the current atmosphere of terror, hue and cry in Delhi markets. The DDA was formed to make planning for Delhi but it failed to carry out its job. The sealing of shops would damage the economy beyond repair. Delhi was a mega metropolis and as such ‘commercial corridors’ were all the more necessary for growth of economy and as such uprooting of shops in Delhi would prove to be a disaster, he said.
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Cops seek discharge of accused in phone tapping case
New Delhi, April 11 The police move has raised many hackles as Dhawan is also facing criminal charges along with Reliance Infocomm employee Kuldeep Singh and two others for allegedly tapping the phones of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh. Delhi Police Special Cell had registered a separate FIR last week against Dhawan, Singh, Navneet Sharma, Nitin Chanan and Rajiv Gaddh for their alleged involvement in illegally tapping the phones of a businessman, who happens to be Gaddh’s business partner in Star Plywood. However, the Special Cell did a volte face before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Seema Maini and sought Dhawan’s discharge in this case for ‘lack of evidence’.
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One held for SHO’s murder
New Delhi, April 11 The police said that in March this year Uday Veer Singh caught Pankaj, Sachin and Amit standing near a dhaba under suspicious circumstances in the Mansurpur area. The police claimed that the accused Pankaj and his accomplices allegedly shot dead Uday with his service revolver itself.
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Serial kidnapper in police net
New Delhi, April 11 The accused has been identified as Uma Shankar (35), alias Raju, a resident of Bhola Nath Nagar in the Farsh Bazaar area in East district. The police said that the accused studied up to class X and thereafter started working as a salesman with an electronic gadgets’ shop in Sadar Bazaar. His father was running a textile shop in Sita Ram Bazaar in East district, said the police. Uma Shankar is married and has one five-year-old daughter. The police said that in the year 1991 Raju allegedly abducted one R.K. Mittal from Aurbindo Marg opposite Safdarjung Hospital for a ransom of Rs 20 lakh. Subsequently, a case was also registered against him in the Defence Colony police station. In the same year, Raju abducted one Vinay Khurana from the vicinity of AIIMS and allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh from his relatives for his release. In the third case, the accused again abducted one S. K. Dewan from the embassy area in Chanakya Puri and allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh for his release.
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Prominent BJP leaders of Delhi, including Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Dr Anita Arya, Surender Pal
Ratawal, Puran Chand Yogi, Sahib Singh Chauhan, Moti Lal Sodhi, Mohan Singh
Bisht, Yogendra Chandoliya, Arti Mehra, Harsh Vardhan Sharma, Sudershan Bhalla, Mewa Ram Arya, Mahila Morcha president Vishakha
Shailani, vice-president Rekha Srivastava, Yuva Morcha president Anil Sharma, general secretary Ravinder Gupta, Rajesh Bhatia and Purnima Vidyarthi were arrested from Karol Bagh where they staged a demonstration in protest against the sealing and demolition drive of the MCD.
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